A screen that displays two sources at the same time

Question

Hello everyone!

I will soon have to leave my home and probably live in a small apartment to continue my studies, and I've been thinking about something...

Are there screens (large enough, I imagine that a 32" would do the trick) that can receive two signals at the same time?

Actually, my aunt bought a Philips TV that can split the screen into two distinct parts so she can watch two different channels. The source for the first part is the coaxial antenna, and the other comes from her TNT decoder connected via SCART. As for me, I would like to know if there are TVs with this feature but that also allow me to choose the source (e.g., VGA for my computer, in which case I would use the left part as a monitor, and HDMI for my HD TNT decoder, with the right part of the screen for a TV channel).
This would allow me to work on my computer and watch TV at the same time with just one screen, thus saving a lot of space in a studio...

Do you know what this technology is called? I don't really think it's picture in picture... What do you think?

Thanks in advance, see you soon!

Erwan031284 · Accepted Answer

"A TV screen is not a good choice for displaying text ... what are the characteristics that a monitor has that a television does not?"

A much higher refresh rate, and the ability to refresh the entire image at once, not even fields during one pass and then the odd fields during a second pass.
In the latter case, text appears to shake up and down... which is very unpleasant for reading!

"I can always get a computer monitor with a VGA and HDMI port if the screen sharing/sources option exists, right?"

Yes, but I don't know of any monitors that allow that! (simultaneous display, regardless of the position of the second image, of video streams from two sources at the same time!)

As I said: technically, it is possible, but it hasn't been done yet! (the market demand is too low to justify the development cost of such a product).
You can see it clearly with the 'Picture-in-Picture' technology: it's not very widespread!

--
Because manuals do not say everything...
But not nothing either, huh!

Erwan031284 · Answer

"Are there screens (large enough, I imagine a 32" could do the trick) that can receive two signals at the same time?

Receive, yes, but not display them at the same time!
But there are televisions with dual tuners where the second one displays the image in a picture-in-picture mode over the other full-screen image. (saw it in China!!!) That's the PIP you're talking about.

For the rest, it's technically possible, but I don't know if it has been done...

--
Because user manuals don't say everything... But not nothing either, huh!"

Ours Brun · Answer

Well, actually my aunt has the kind of TV I'm looking for but I couldn't figure out how to select the signal source... does anyone have other ideas?

era@tik · Answer

2 different sources on the screen aren't designed for that, but your computer can display two different sources on the same screen. You just need to equip it with a DVB USB stick, and you can watch a channel while working at the same time. It actually depends on the multitasking capability of the computer. If you have access to ADSL in unbundled mode depending on the provider, you can access TV channels with adsltv, and other programs exist. That said, a TV screen isn't very good for reading text.

Ours Brun · Answer

Yes, I was familiar with the concept of the built-in tuner in the computer or the USB key that receives channels, but still, it doesn't compare to the quality of a service provider's decoder offering VOD and a lot of channels including HD... in my opinion...

However, you say that a TV screen is not a good choice for displaying text... what are the characteristics that a monitor has that a television does not? But after all, I can always choose a computer screen with a VGA port and HDMI if the screen/source sharing option exists, right?

Ours Brun · Answer

Hum ok ... I understand. Well, I think it's dead in the water then ... Because finding a TV that has the same functionality as my aunt's, plus the ability to choose the source, and has a sufficient refresh rate .... if it exists, it certainly won't be within my budget!

Too bad, I guess I'll have to buy two screens, one for the computer and one for the TV, or buy a computer screen that's particularly suited for television, and then get a USB tuner or, better yet, receive TV via DSL and connect my decoder if I have access to the Internet where I'm moving.

I'm still around if anyone has another idea ...
Thanks for your responses, see you soon!

samy · Answer

Look at the Sony Bravia TVs, they have this feature, I can play on the PS3 and watch TV at the same time.

Ours Brun · Answer

Sure, could you provide me with the exact reference to check how they present the feature and price of this kind of product?

Shiryu · Answer

I have a Philips Cineos from 2006 that manages PIP with the selection of any source (either in the picture or by splitting the screen in two).
I think it’s indeed not great in terms of refresh rate for displaying a computer's output. On top of that, the technology isn't very sought after, and Philips has stopped using it in its new high-end models...

A screen that displays two sources at the same time

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